Preparation steps1. First of all prepare the vegetable/egg that you want to make the kurma with. For any kind of vegetable kurma like potato kurma, corn kurma, green peas (pattani) kurma, cauliflower kurma, tomato (thakkali) kurma, knolkhol kurma, mullangi (radish)kurma, mushroom kurma, carrot kurma or mixed vegetable kurma. - par boil the vegetables with some salt. For soya kurma - soak the soya chunks in salted water for 10 minutes. For paneer kurma - fry the paneer cubes or leave it as such. For chikpea (kadalai) kurma - soak it overnight and pressure cook it for 2 whistles. For egg kurma - hard boil the eggs. 2. Grind all the ingredients under 'List I' and keep it aside.3. Similarly, grind the ingredients under 'List II' and set aside.

Method1. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan/kadai and add the ground paste of 'Lst I'.2. Saute for 2 minutes on medium high flame.3. Add the dry spice powders and the prepared vegetable of your choice.(For egg kurma, add the hard boiled eggs while serving)4. Next add the ground paste of 'list II', about 2 cups of water and required salt.5. Boil this for about 7 minutes till everything is cooked and oil separates.6. Garnish with cilantro and serve with pulao, chappatti or dosa.

Method1. Melt the sugar/brown sugar in a non-stick pan till it turns honey brown in color. 2. Crush the peanuts and add it to the melted sugar with a pinch of cardomon powder.3. Put this mixture immediately into a greased plate or tray. 4. Spread it to the desired thickness using a rolling pin. 5. Immedietly cut it with a greased knife. 6. After it cools, separate the pieces and store in air tight containers.

Tips - You can make the same chikkis with sesame seeds, cashews and other nuts too.

Preparation Steps1. Wash the quail thoroughly. It will have lot of hair that you need to pluck. Cut each into maximum 5 pieces. Since the kaadai is bony and smaller than chicken, you need to cut it into big pieces.2. Marinate using all ingredients from "For marination" and let it rest in the refrigerator for about half an hour. 3. Rinse the rice, soak it for 15-30 minutes, drain all water from it and keep aside.4. I like to roast the rice with some ghee till a nice aroma comes. This prevents the rice from sticking to each other. You can skip this step if you don't have time.

Method1. In a heavy deep vessel/ pressure cooker heat oil and ghee together. Once it gets heated up, add the whole garam masala. You can grind the garam masala and add it if you do not like whole masala coming in your mouth.2. Add the onions and chopped green chillies.3. When onions turn slightly brown, add the ginger garlic paste, chopped coriander and mint leaves. Fry for few minutes.4. Add the tomatoes and sauté. The tomatoes will first become pulpy and then all the juices will dry up.5. At this stage add the marinated quail (kaadai) along with all the marination mixture. Sauté everything for 5-10 minutes. After this step, you can proceed in any one of the following ways depending on the vessel you are using:-

Cooking in a pressure cooker6. Add the coconut milk and water mixture and required salt. Bring it to a boil. Add the soaked rice, check for all seasoning and adjust if needed. 7. After it boils, reduce the flame to simmer, cover the pressure cooker and put the whistle.8. Cook for about 20-30 minutes. (You may not get any whistle as the flame is very low. Just switch off after 20-30 minutes and the biryani will be done. If you increase the flame, there are chances that the bottom might get burned.)

Using a rice cooker6. Add the prepared gravy, soaked rice, required salt and the water-coconut milk mixture in the rice cooker. Mix well and adjust any seasoning if needed.7. Switch on the rice cooker and cook till it is done.

Cooking in an open vessel6. Add the coconut milk and water mixture to the gravy and bring it to a boil. Add the soaked rice, adjust the seasoning and bring it to a boil again.7. Cover the pan with a tight lid to prevent the steam from escaping. Reduce the flame to the lowest possible setting and leave it for half an hour. (You can use an aluminium foil to cover the top of the pan and then put the lid if the lid is not very tight. That way no steam will escape.)

Cooking in convection oven 6. Add the gravy and soaked rice to a oven safe dish along with water and coconut milk mixture and mix well.7. Cover the dish tightly with an aluminium foil to prevent the steam from escaping. Cook it for 45 minutes in a 350 degree F (180 degree C) oven.

Cooking in Microwave Oven6. Add the gravy and soaked rice to a microwave safe dish/ micro cooker along with water and coconut milk mixture and mix well.7. Check for salt, cover the dish and cook it on micro power high for 20 minutes.

Whichever method you follow, your whole house will be filled with the aroma of basmati rice cooking with quail meat. In about an hours time you will have a very tasty kaadai biryani to enjoy with all your five senses. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves, toasted cashew nuts and raisins. Serve with boiled eggs, kaadai fry and raita.

The summer is on and everybody wants to chill their tummy. Here is a wonderful and healthy beetroot milk shake. It is said that this root will help in increasing your blood too. Why are you waiting, enjoy this wornderful milk shake.

Method1. Cook the grated beetroot with 2 cups of water. 2. When it is tender, remove from gas and allow to cool.3. Blend the same in a mixer/blender nicely. 4. Add the milk, sugar, cardomom powder, whip cream and blend again. 5. Serve chilled with or without ice cream by adding subja.

Here is an image of Basil Seeds (Tukmaria or Subja) before and after soaking in water.

In India, pickles are an integral part of everyday meal. It adds so much flavour instantly to any meal. In olden days, pickle making was an art. People spent days making the perfect spice blend, adding the necessary preservatives and storing it appropriately so that it stays good for many many months with no refrigeration. In the 21st century, there is no house without a refrigerator. As a result making pickle and preserving it has become very simple. You can make instant pickles with almost any vegetable. Here is the recipe for instant garlic pickle. The time consuming process is peeling the garlic. Just buy a pack of peeled garlic and you are in business. You can use this garlic pickle with roti, rice, to flavour gravies or to make sandwiches. So here is the recipe...

Preparation1. Peel the garlic and keep it ready.2. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and mustard seeds, cool and powder it. This helps to preserve the pickle as well as gives a nice flavor. You can skip the 2 ingredients if you do not intent to keep the pickle for a long time. These days with refrigerators, pickles stay good even with less oil and preservatives.

Method1. Mix the salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, the above ground powder in a small bowl.2. Heat the oil in a pan and pop the mustard seeds. Add the dry red chilies, asafoetida and curry leaves.3. Add the peeled garlic and saute in low flame for few minutes till it gets a little soft.4. Add the mixed spice powder and cook on low flame till oil oozes out. Switch off.5. Once it cools down, add the vinegar.

Store the delicious garlic pickle in a clean, air tight container. It stays good in the refrigerator for upto 2 months.

Serving Suggestion - This pickle can be used as a side dish with chappatti, variety rice or white rice and some curry. - This can be used as a spread to make sandwiches and wraps. - The garlic pickle makes a perfect dip for crackers or baked chips. - Mix up some pickle with some yogurt and serve as an instant side dish for parathas.

Gulab Jamun is a very popular dessert from India. It is also found in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is very commonly made during festivals, marriages and other celebrations. Gulab (rose) jamun gets its name from the rose colored jamuns (dumplings) that are soaked in sugar syrup. These sweet dumplings made with milk solids are very light and melts in your mouth right away. It is very simple to make and tastes delicious.

These days gulab jamuns are widely available in cans and in all shops. You can also make gulab jamuns with the instant gulab jamun mix readily available. But why not make it at home when it is so simple to make and requires very few ingredients?. Here I have shared the recipe and tricks to make the perfect Gulab Jamun in your own kitchen.

MethodFor making Sugar Syrup1. Take the sugar and water in a sauce pan. Boil it.2. Reduce the flame and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.3. Add the lemon juice, rose essence and cardamom powder to the syrup.4. Switch off.

For making Jamun Balls1. In a mixing bowl, take the milk powder, maida, baking soda and rava. Combine it.2. Add the lemon juice and butter/ghee and mix it well till you get a crumbly flour.3. Add the milk and mix it. The dough may appear to be very sticky.4. Let it rest for about 5 minutes. By now most of the moisture is absorbed by the dough. Tips : If you feel the dough feels dry, add a few drops of milk. The dough should be soft and moist. Only then you will get smooth balls without any cracks.5. Divide it into equal portions. Make smooth balls with your palms. Make all the balls and keep it covered under a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from getting dried up. 6. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry on medium low heat till it becomes golden brown. It is important that you fry on low heat so that the balls are cooked through. 7. Put the fried jamun balls in the warm sugar syrup. Let it soak for 45 minutes to an hour. Yummy gulob jamun is ready.

Gulab jamun topped with sliced almond

Variations - If you find fresh mawa or khoya, you can make the jamun balls by combining 3/4 cup of khoya with 1/4 cup of maida, 1/4 tsp of baking soda and about 1 tbsp of water. - Another simple way of making jamun balls is by using readymade Gulab Jamun mix. You just have to follow the package instructions. - If you add sugar while making the dough, the jamun balls will turn almost black in colour while frying. This is yet another famous dish called "Kala Jamun".

Kala Jamun

Serving Suggestions - The best part about Gulab Jamuns is that it tastes good either served warm or when served cold. During winter, you can serve it warm by microwaving it for few seconds before serving. Otherwise, just refrigerate and serve chilled. - Some people prefer to have warm gulab jamuns topped with cool vanilla ice cream. - Some people prefer to have gulab jamuns with lot of sugar syrup while other like it dry. If you prefer to have it dry, remove the jamuns after soaking in the sugar syrup for an hour. Arrange it in a serving dish and top it with sliced nuts to make a beautiful presentation. You can also roll it in sweetened coconut and serve it.

Broccoli is a plant that resembles cauliflower and belongs to the family which also includes cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, collards and kale . Broccoli has many green coloured fleshy flower heads, on a thick, edible stalk. The entire thing looks like a mini tree. This food is very low in saturated Fat and cholesterol but a good source of Protein, dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium, Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Selenium and Manganese. Most important, broccoli contains a substance called Isothiocyanates, which fight and help prevent cancer. Bajjis are traditional south indian dish prepared for special occasions. It is very common in any street fares and sea shores. There are various types of bajjis and making them is less time consuming. You can substitute different vegetables instead of broccoli to get different bajjis like potato bajji, cauliflower bajji, onion bajji, raw banana bajji, mirchi bajji (milagai bajji), appala bajji etc.

Method1. Mix thoroughly gram flour, rice flour, red chilly powder, baking soda and salt to make bajji flour.2. Add water gradually to avoid lumps and make a smooth paste.3. Heat oil in kadai. When the oil is hot enough, dump few broccoli florets in the bajji batter.4. When the florets are completely coated with the batter, put the florets in the oil and deep fry.5. Drain excess oil in a paper towel. Serve hot with tomato ketchup when the bajjis are crisp.

First make the bread dough. Warm the milk in a saucepan until you can see steam coming from the surface, but don’t let it boil. Add the butter and set aside. Tip the flour, yeast, sugar and ½ tsp salt into a large bowl. When the milk has cooled to hand temperature and the butter has melted, pour the liquid into the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon, then tip out onto your work surface and bring together with your hands. Knead the dough for 10 mins or until soft. Put it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a sheet of oiled cling film. Leave somewhere warm for about 2 hrs until doubled in size.

Place the currants, mixed peel, cinnamon, mixed spice, zests and juice into a saucepan. Boil hard for a few mins until the fruit has absorbed the liquid and become nice and plump. Chill until cold, then mix with the pistachios, butter and sugar.

When the dough is ready, tip out of the bowl and knead briefly to knock out the air bubbles. Roll out to a 45 x 28cm rectangle. Spread the buttery spiced fruit mixture over the surface of the dough. From one of the long edges, roll the dough to a tight cylinder, then bring the 2 ends to meet, creating a ring. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet with the join underneath.

Using a sharp knife, cut incisions around the outside of the dough, about 3cm apart, in a sunburst pattern, going quite close to the centre, but not all the way through. Working your way around the outside, pull each piece of cut dough out a little, then push it down on one side, so that the cut edge is exposed and they’re on a curve to create a fan shape around the edge of the wreath. When you’re happy with the shape, re-cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove for about 45 mins until doubled in size. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas

Uncover the bread and brush all over with beaten egg. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and hollow sounding when tapped on the base. Mix a little icing sugar with enough water to make a smooth runny icing. Whilst the bread is still warm, brush the icing over the surface with a pastry brush to make a sugary crust. Best eaten within 3 days.